with life
once a forest fearful lit;

then forced

your magnificent stripes
onto mere fleshly backs

or racks to feed
high-end lustful
consumer attacks.

*

Sometimes in a zoological cage,
paced anger; in a rage.

When threatened,
drugged. Your body now lazy;
your lovely eyes glazed.

Hazy,
your existence
for saddened and unnumbered days.

*

Tiger, tiger
due to greed

I pray for freedom
of your breed.

Strick laws
lawless ones

to uncharacteristically heed.

But more for a Creator’s
loving and thoughtful

forceful intercede.*

*

Your flame fades
bit-by-bit
as hunter fed by thirsty blood,

their heartfelt compassion
not risen, but dead.

Pure stalker
led

a paying party
for adventure bred

to your glorious hides.
Their desire

not to hit or destroy
your skins

delightful
for their killers’ pride.

Their destination?

I wish to decry… But tragically, I can’t defy
their bulls-eye.

No hack:

Right between your
challenged
dark brilliant eyes.

*

This future fabulous
I wonderfully envision

to enable me
these animalistic terrors

to quickly nullify:

“The wolf will reside for a while with the lamb,

And with the young goat the leopard will lie down,

And the calf and the lion and the fattened animal will all be together;

And a little boy will lead them.

The cow and the bear will feed together,
And their young will lie down together.

The lion will eat straw like the bull.

The nursing child will play over the lair of a cobra,

And a weaned child will put his hand over the den of a poisonous snake.

They will not cause any harm
Or any ruin in all my holy mountain,

Because the earth will certainly be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah

As the waters cover the sea.”
Isa. 11:6-9.

*

Thank Jah,
this prophetic vision
fulfilled,

we’ll soon
in fruition see.

Not just for mere centuries. . .

But created
For an eternity!